The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) is targeting up to 1 gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy capacity in Casiguran, Aurora, as it seeks to build the power infrastructure needed to attract manufacturers and accelerate industrialization in the province.
APECO signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday with Huge Energy Co., Ltd. to explore a three-phase energy development combining solar power, waste-to-energy facilities, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and substations within the economic zone.
The first phase is planned at about 100 megawatts (MW), comprising a solar photovoltaic facility, BESS and substation.
A second phase would add 350 MW through solar and waste-to-energy projects, while the third would contribute another 550 MW, bringing the potential total to 1,000 MW or 1 GW.
APECO is setting aside 90 hectares for the proposed development.
“Power precedes progress. Before industries can operate, businesses can expand, and investments can come in, we need reliable and sustainable power,” APECO President and CEO Gil Taway IV said.
Taway said the project could help fast-track critical energy infrastructure, including substations and potentially transmission facilities, while improving power availability and affordability for locators.
“The goal is to create a more competitive environment for investors, attract new industries and ultimately support APECO’s transition toward industrialization and manufacturing,” he said.
Huge Energy, a solar panel manufacturer, will develop the project with South Korean engineering, procurement and construction firm Dong-A Global Co., Ltd.
The companies will work with APECO on feasibility studies, engineering, permitting, grid interconnection, financing and power offtake arrangements.
The 1-GW target remains subject to technical and financial feasibility studies, grid requirements and government approvals, meaning the full capacity is not yet guaranteed.
For APECO, however, the proposed project signals an effort to address one of the key requirements for industrial growth: dependable power supply.
